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I have two character concepts waiting in the wings involving Strength Patron "battle Witch" characters (arcane Divine Favor...).
One is a strength-based wild 'pagan' warrior Synergist bonded with a goat familiar, wielding longsword/unarmed/claw/gore. The other is a bow/shield/rapier combatant that comes across more like a Ranger, but with a 'nature magic' on a whole other level.
The patrons that grant spells like divine favor and righteous might always annoyed me. I've tried the "fighty" witch, and it becomes unfeasible pretty quickly - I'd say 5th level, maximum, unless the GM is specifically giving you opportunities.
That said, the witchguard ranger archetype loves the Strength patron. ^_^
The patrons that grant spells like divine favor and righteous might always annoyed me. I've tried the "fighty" witch, and it becomes unfeasible pretty quickly - I'd say 5th level, maximum, unless the GM is specifically giving you opportunities.
Well to be fair both are designed around 1 Martial/ 6-8 Witch/ Eldritch Knight, and use split ability scores that favor combat. For the AC issue, the idea is to use Arcane Armor Training (mithral Kikko) and Ironskin. Neither uses typical offensive Hexes tied to Witch level, instead focusing on Ill Omen and one specialized Persistent spell like Hideous Laughter or Unadulterated Loathing to add some debuffing and control. I have the Horned War-Witch here if you're curious - it's pretty crazy stuff, but the numbers seem to run pretty nice despite that.
After reading this thread again I had a thought about how a practising Witch might describe themself or advertise. "Cunning woman/man" seems to have been a description self-applied in much of Britain during the middle ages, mainly for self-proclaimed practitioners of beneficial magic.
The Wikipedia article on "cunning folk in Britain" is fairly interesting reading, and could be useful in making a historically-based non-wicked Witch.
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I recommend picking up Wayfinder #14 when it comes out. There might just be something of interest there for you. ^_^You know, I never really got why Witches were INT-based in the first place. They don't study magic out of a book, they cut deals with powerful forces via talking animal lawyers.
Sounds like it'd be Charisma all the way to me. Would also make Changelings better Witches.
Oh, you tease... A charisma-based witch? Where can I sign up?
Hmm
PS Back to the OP's question:
We have a non-witchy witch in my PbP Kingmaker game called Luthor who has lovely personality. He's a gentle, cautious academic guy who went to a magic academy with the group's bard. The academy's motto is "Be What You Dare" and Luthor doesn't really feel that he lives up to the motto. He's terrified of many of the things we face, but faces them anyway because he's loyal and hardworking.
Both he and the bard have mongoose familiars (the school that they went to has a tradition of mongoose familiars) and they call themselves jokingly "The Order of the Mongoose." Luthor has affectionate arguments with his mongoose (she chitters at him, and we understand their "conversations" only through his side of the deal.)
Mechanically, Luthor is a support witch. He provides Healing Hex and Fortune Hex as his go-to hexes. What I like about Luthor is that he has the feel of a scholar who's distinctly out of his depth, but who is doing everything he can to live up to his ideals. He's most definitely a witch, but he's not stereptypical in any sense.
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The patrons that grant spells like divine favor and righteous might always annoyed me. I've tried the "fighty" witch, and it becomes unfeasible pretty quickly - I'd say 5th level, maximum, unless the GM is specifically giving you opportunities.
Back before Scarred Witch Doctor got deformed by the recent Errata, this could actually work pretty well with an Orc Scarred Witch Doctor, especially if you acquired Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Elven Branched Spear). Basically, use Reach Cleric tactics, but using Hexes a lot of the time instead of casting spells, and with +4 Strength and +2 on Attacks of Opportunity when using Elven Branched Spear more than compensating for 1/2 BAB until you get to high levels, and your pumped Constitution making you hard to kill despite having d6 HD. Now, the recent Errata has nerfed this concept, but made an otherwise standard Half-Orc Scarred Witch Doctor overpowered (I sound like a broken record, but somebody forgot that Half-Orc's +2 on any one ability score can go anywhere).
As things are now, an Elf with 1 level of a martial class or VMC (Oracle (Battle (Skill At Arms))) and Weapon Finesse could be a Reach Witch as above, but the Constitution penalty hurts more than +2 Dexterity helps, and Weapon Finesse with +2 Dexterity is not as good as +4 Strength. Still, if you're careful, you should be able to keep up with a standard Reach Cleric until you get close to the end of PFS levels (the extra care is because you are extra squishy).
That said, the witchguard ranger archetype loves the Strength patron. ^_^
Looked at this again -- with some additional tweaking, this archetype could actually serve as a kernel for a Paladin/Antipaladin rebuild.
Be male.
Maybe multiclass and try a male gypsy hexblade-like concept.
Does a witchguard ranger / witch multiclass work? Can he choose himself to protect? Is he adjacent to himself?
^Depends upon what time period the stereotype you are trying to avoid comes from. Witches are most often portrayed as female these days (although I have seen a non-zero number of male Witches in PbP PC rosters), but back in the days when persecuting people for witchcraft was in vogue, some men did get swept up as victims in the witch hunts.
And, as Pendagast mentioned quite a while back, Hexcrafter Magus opens up some opportunities -- your Hexes progress the same as those of a Witch although you don't get as many of them; you get less spells than a Witch (but a greater spell list than a normal Magus), but also d8 and 3/4 BAB and eventually the ability to use good armor to help you with being a more combat-oriented character. Also, as a Hexcrafter Magus, by default you have a spellbook instead of a Familiar, although it is possible to use a Magus Arcana to get a Familiar if you want (which fortunately will be like a Wizard's Familiar instead of being your spellbook, in contrast to most Witches). A guide for this is available on the Zenith Games Guide to the Guides, although significant stuff has come out since that guide was written, so an update would be welcome.
I would probably make a lazy drunkard of a witch, secretly very clever, but still lazy. Uses Unseen Servant a lot, and has a familiar that does a lot of the day-to-day work (probably a raccoon for something person-like and with a decent strength score). Misfortune and Evil Eye are just inducing inebriation in others.
An Half Elf Ley Line Guardian who takes skill focus Linguistics and Orator as the level 1 feat with a trait that adds linguistics as a class skill could make for a very interesting politician type character.
The shadow patron would allow you to build in many interesting combat option and there is no end to the social encounter uses of a well timed illusion. What better way to slander your political enemies then actually make them appear to do something terrible in a location where they can be observed.
You can still as a standard grab slumber and hair hexs to give you strong go to options if illusions are not cutting it. Focus on pumping illusion DCs and you have an int based sorcerer with the skills to back up the mystery.
I really like Paragon Surge but Human with focused study and silver tongued might be a better pick if silver tongued effects the linguistics check diplomacy check.